VOMITED FROM THE FISH

1. About a year ago there was an unusual story from the BBC News.

2. British Geologists claimed to have found a leftover item from the era of dinosaurs.

3. The headline, in case you missed it, was “Dinosaur Vomit Discovered in Quarry.”

SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THEY HAVE IN THEIR POSSESSION SOME FOSSILIZED VOMIT FROM CREATURES NO LONGER IN EXISTENCE.

a) God’s creatures—both man and beast—have been given the ability to throw up.

b) This is not a pleasant topic, but it is a Bible topic.

2) Those who are here are surely familiar with Rev. 3:16.

3) John wrote to a congregation of Christians who were neither “hot nor cold.”

4) This group decided it would try being lukewarm.

5) Because of this Jesus told them they would be “spewn” from His mouth.

6) If you have the NKJV you will see that it actually uses the word vomit.

7) What we find in Rev. 3:16 is also discovered in the Old Testament.

8) At the very end of Jonah 2 we read how God’s prophet got out of a great fish.

9) God gave a command to this sea creature and it obeyed.

10) Jonah was vomited on to “dry land” (Jonah 2:10).

11) Those who teach this verse usually read it but don’t say a lot about.

12) For the most part there is a fast transition between Jonah 2:9 and Jonah 3:1.

13) Before moving into the third chapter I want to look at one of the most overlooked words in this book.

14) We can study this term to see where it is used elsewhere and learn some important truths.

AN EXAMINATION OF THE ORIGINAL TERM SHOWS THAT OCCURS NINE TIMES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

a) If you want the places where this term occurs, here they are:

b) Lev. 18, verses 25 and 28. Verse 28 uses this term two times.

c) Lev. 20:22. Job 20:15. Prov. 23:8; 25:16. Jeremiah. 25:27; and Jonah 2:10.

2) Of all these references I am going to start by only mentioning one of the verses from Proverbs.

3) The writer used this term two times in a literal sense.

4) Prov. 25:16 says if someone eats too much honey he will get sick. He will become nauseated.

5) The consequences of this sickness will be what most of us have experienced.

6) We know the literal meaning of this term so this meaning does not need to be studied.

7) We also know how the term is used in Jonah 2:10 so that meaning is also unnecessary to consider.

8) We are therefore left with the verses from Leviticus, Job, and Jeremiah.

9) Of these three passages I want to start with Job 20:15.

a) We probably remember that after Job’s problems began some associates came to see him.

b) These friends tried to explain to Job why he was suffering.

c) One of Job’s counselors was Zophar.

d) Of all those who made allegations against Job, Zophar was the most direct.

10) In Job 20:2 Zophar said “haste was within him.”

11) That is, he could barely wait for his chance to talk and further explain things to Job.

12) Zophar appealed to history (verse 5) and said, “Look. Wicked people triumph for a short time.”

13) Wicked people “fly away like a dream” (verse 8).

14) We want verse 15 which has the same term used in Jonah 2:10 — READ.

a) Zophar argued that people may prosper for a time.

b) Eventually they lose what they have.

15) Here our word is used in a figurative way to describe the removal of goods/blessings.

16) This reference lays a foundation for our remaining passages.

17) The word vomit can describe the removal of something.

18) One of the best scriptural examples of this is found in the book of Leviticus.

19) We start with Lev. 18 and then move to Lev. 20.

a) Three verses in Lev. 18 use this term; verse 25 has it once; verse 28 uses it twice.

b) To grasp how the term is used, it is helpful to know the overall theme in Lev. 18.

20) God told Moses to have a conversation with the people of Israel (verse 2).

21) God said, “You tell them that I am Jehovah their God.”

22) Because God was the people’s God, heaven said something would not be tolerated.

a) In verse 3 God said, “The people of Israel cannot be like the people of Egypt.”

b) Verse 4 goes is even more specific. God said, “You must live according to my laws.”

23) Verses 6-20 describe rules concerning marriage.

24) Certain marriages were not permitted under the Old Testament law.

25) Verses 20-21 describe sacrificing children to pagan gods; this was also forbidden.

26) Verse 22, in some translations, uses the word “homosexuality.”

27) One paraphrase puts it this way:

28) “Homosexuality is absolutely forbidden, for it is an enormous sin.”

29) Now we come to verse 24 — READ.

a) In the preceding 23 verses God spoke of acts that “defiled” (i.e. acts of sin).

b) God said to His people, “Be sure to avoid these kinds of behavior.”

c) The depth of sin being described is found in verse 25 — READ.

d) “All the land” that we know as Israel had been defiled.

e) Filth and sin had become rampant and God was tired of it.

f) Because people had been so wicked God said this at the end of verse 25:

30) The land would “vomit forth its inhabitants.”

31) Since people refused to live according to basic principles of righteousness, they would be removed.

32) Humans and animals vomit to get offending matter from the body.

33) God said there are matters that offend Him.

34) When a certain level is reached, it is time for judgment.

35) It is time for expulsion (a removal).

36) It should be noted that verse 25 describes people who were not Hebrews.

37) Because non-Jews had been so wicked and corrupt, they were to be thrown out of their land.

38) In their place would come the people of Israel.

39) God warned the Hebrews about their behavior in verse 28.

40) With this warning He used the same word found in Jonah 2:10.

a) We can probably best see the point by reading verse 26 and then skipping to verse 28 – READ.

b) God said His people could be tossed out just as the pagans had been evicted.

TODY WE NEED TO KNOW AND HEAR THIS INFORMATION BECAUSE IT IS STILL VERY MUCH APPLICABLE.

1. Concerning the Lord’s church, we have the warning in Rev. 3:16.

2. Regarding our nation, we can learn from verses like those found in Lev. 18.

3. God will overthrow nations if are bent on doing evil.

4. He will disconnect Himself from Christians and congregations if they are not faithful.

5. This should be a matter of great concern to us given the current culture.

6. Consider from a negative aspect where our nation is.

7. We have several people who hope to become the next President of our nation.

8. Some of these people approve of what is described in Lev. 18.

9. God said a certain practice is a terrible sin, but powerful men say it is a good thing.

10. We need to approve of it, make it a form of marriage, and grant those involved full benefits.

11. As time passes we have more and more instances of opposition to anything called Christian.

12. David Limbaugh, a lawyer, has authored a book entitled “Persecution.”

13. He describes numerous examples of how people professing Christ are being persecuted.

14. In the opening pages of this volume Mr. Limbaugh describes a district court judge.

15. This account is about a high school graduation and a threat against the students.

16. If anyone said the name “Jesus” during the graduation, they would be arrested and jailed for 6 months.

17. A US Marshall was ordered to be at the ceremony to listen for the Lord’s name.

18. If anyone said the Lord’s name, his orders were to arrest and take that person to the county lockup.

19. Other religious deities were also forbidden, but Jesus was specifically mentioned.

20. America has reached the day where saying the name of the Lord in public can lead to incarceration.

21. This is no longer a penalty posed by countries overseas.

22. When it comes to young people, there is persecution for those who want to recognize/follow Jesus.

23. Christian opposition also extends to those who are not young.

24. There is a senior citizen center in the state of Texas.

25. These citizens have been accustomed to praying at mealtime and having Bible readings.

26. Their religious practices have existed for about 20 years.

27. Now the seniors who want to continue their religious actions have been threatened.

28. Government officials have said they will take away the senior citizens’ weekly meals.

29. All support services will also be removed if the Bible believing people do not comply.

30. Get rid of activities related to God and His word or be cut off from daily meals.

31. This is the point we have reached in this country.

32. In November of this year (2003) the other side proposed a compromise.

33. Officials said songs and prayers would be allowed but no Bible readings.

34. The scriptures and the Authors of them are so offensive to the world there is persecution.

35. Bible believing people are now being threatened with jail and withdrawal of services.

36. God has become so unpleasant to many in our nation that the pledge of allegiance may become illegal.

37. There are 31 words in the American pledge.

38. Four of these words say, “one nation under God.”

39. Hostility towards spiritual things is so high these words are alleged to be a violation of First Amendment Establishment Clause.

40. As time passes the number and intensity of incidents continues to escalate.

41. Many may not have heard about an event in Sparks, Nevada.

42. Someone put up something like a banner that said, “God bless America.”

43. The city attorney ordered an employee to take scissors to the sign.

44. The order was given to cut out God.

45. This was done so the text read, “Bless America”

46. There was an obvious gap where God’s name used to be.

47. Suppose someone decided to attack our person and character and they were relentless.

48. How would we feel, especially if we were guilty of no crime?

49. God and the faith He gave are repeatedly assaulted in this country.

50. Those involved with the persecution seem to think their actions have no consequences.

51. A long time ago there were heathens who thought the same thing.

52. They believed they could do what they wanted, live as they wanted, and everything would be fine.

53. God said the land where they lived would vomit them from their homes and their possessions.

54. Jews were warned that bad behavior would result in the same penalty.

55. America sits back and say, “Not us. We will never be overrun.”

56. It is probably right that our nation cannot be completely overtaken by another.

57. God does have some alternative options.

58. Earlier I said the word being studied is found in the book of Jeremiah.

59. Jeremiah 25:27 is the reference, and it is time to introduce this passage.

60. By this time Jeremiah had been teaching for 23 years.

61. He had given message after message but the people had not listened.

62. He had frequently spoken about repenting (verse 5); the same message America needs.

63. God’s will, however, was not what the people wanted to do.

64. Verse 6 of Jer. 25 contains a stern warning: God said, “Do not anger me.”

65. The Hebrews refused to listen (verse 8), so God said punishment was coming.

66. He would send the Babylonians to do battle with Israel.

67. Verse 27 is what need to be read – READ.

68. God said to a number of nations, “Here is the cup of punishment. Drink it and keep drinking it.”

69. “Drink the cup of judgment until you have had so much you “spew it out” (vomit).

70. This passage can be related to our country.

71. If we do not change course, judgment will come.

72. God’s cup of wrath will be poured out until people feel like they can take no more.

73. God’s hand of punishment becomes so heavy people begin pleading for relief.

74. This is a historical fact that has been repeated again and again.

75. If God has not let other nations escape, what basis does He have for letting us escape?

76. Our nation can expect treatment similar to previous nations if we do not change course.

77. Our only hope, though He is being openly spurned, is God.

78. We hope you believe that. If you do, we hope you want to obey Him no matter what the cost.